Riley Harper The California stuntman on feeling the fear, and doing it anyway.
Riley Harper The California stuntman on feeling the fear, and doing it anyway.
At 30 years old, Riley Harper has already accrued almost a quarter century of experience as a stuntman. It was the family trade, and his dad got him his first job on set (falling down some stairs) when he was six. Since then, he’s spent the majority of his working life crashing cars, being set on fire and taking punches on behalf of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces. He talks to Bella Gladman about the serious work behind being a professional daredevil.
Are you a tough guy?
It depends how you look at “tough guy.” I was raised racing motorcycles, breaking bones and getting concussions—dealing with pain at a young age. But the mindset’s the tough part. The funniest thing people say when they hear what I do is, “I can do that, I’m crazy.” That’s the opposite of what ...